


The combination of this life

by moon01234



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Family, Invasion, M/M, Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-02-06 14:12:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1860957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moon01234/pseuds/moon01234
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of course the Ancients would have two devices that could connect space between the Andromeda and the Pegasus Galaxies. And of course, the device, or Pyxis as Rodney called it, could also connect through space. Not to mention the Wraith invasion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The combination of this life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theeverdream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theeverdream/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Combination for this life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1782457) by [theeverdream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theeverdream/pseuds/theeverdream). 



> Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis in any shape or form does not belong to me. I love . 
> 
> AN: Let’s get things cracking with a Stargate Atlantis Reverse Big Bang. So a wonderful thank you for theeverdream who is the artist of my source of creation. Hope you like this story. 
> 
> Warnings: Slash, alien science, a bit of violence (but this is normal in this series), etc. 
> 
> Summary: Of course the Ancients would have two devices that could connect space between the Andromeda and the Pegasus Galaxies. And of course, the device, or Pyxis as Rodney called it, could also connect through space. Not to mention the Wraith invasion. 
> 
> Word-Count: 4 218

**The combination of this life**

_“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”_   **Albert Einstein**  
  
 **Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy**  
  
“Heads up, Sheppard!” Came the the sharp order from the Head Scientist of Atlantis as something sailed across the room towards the colonel. Catching the UFO easily, practically by instinct as John was used to having Rodney throw him random objects on a whim, especially when he was in the lab. It was a curious device, sort of like one giant compass with and extra seeing-glass on top that was hinged to move slightly. On the compass, engraved in gold were the first six roman numbers twice, in some random order that John couldn’t guess at first glance. Turning it over, John saw that it had some sort of exploding star also engraved on the back, admiring the beautiful artisanship of gold and orange mixed together that changed according to the light.  
  
“What is this Rodney?” John asked curiously, still gazing at the contraption in his hand. Said man had somehow crossed the room in a records time, as it barely took a couple of seconds for John to observe the object.  
  
“I don’t know, and we are still having problems in navigating the Ancient database. I tried turning it on, but it would seem that it belongs to the group of things that won’t activate for the fake gene.” Rodney said the word “fake” with such a natural disdain that it made John smile at his friend’s antics. “So naturally, I thought that you could use your advantage as a lightbulb switch to help me out.”  
  
“So glad to be of service,” came the sarcastic reply.  
  
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” the Canadian replied absentmindedly, looking at the device to see if anything changed in the hands of the soldier. Nothing seemed to have changed so he grabbed the object back to see in closer details. “Huh, so it didn't work for you either. Which leaves us with only two solutions. It’s either broken or it is active and we can't see what it does.”  
  
Despite his flippant attitude, John has well learned the fact that Rodney would never actually in danger someone of the expedition, so the object, while unknown, was somewhat safe. To many accidents had made Rodney cautious in certain areas, one of the most memorable ones being the explosion of a solar systems.  
  
“Well do keep me inform if you solve your mystery puzzle. Until then, I think you should leave it alone as we have a mission to P1X-832. Gear up, we leave in two hours.” After parting with his message, John left the lab, the mysterious object far removed from his mind.  


— _“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.”_ **Jay Asher, “Thirteen Reasons Why”** —  


 **Earth, Milky Way**  
  
Leo and Alec were having fun searching through the flea-market, under the watchful eyes of Anna, their mother. It was one of those rare sunny days that wasn’t to hot under the August sun. Alec, the youngest of the two boys, was flitting from stand to stand, looking upon all the wares that were presented. His older brother was just a step behind him, ready to negotiate for his brother for anything that would catch his eye. Their father had already given them some money for just this intent.  
  
All of the sudden, something caught Alec’s eyes. Some sort of compass with an extra, movable seeing-glass where underneath were engraved in gold the letters “I” and “V”, at least, that was what Alec could discern. The color was something that entranced Alec, a mixture of orange and gold that formed something like the color of sunset under the rays of the sun. “Leo, come see. Come see.” The seven years old shouted for his brother.  
  
You would not be able to deduce that the two boys were brothers, at least not by blood. Lionel “Leo” Dwayne Sheppard was a boy of sixteen, with a peculiar shade of light-brown, crouching towards the a darker shade, hair, coupled with bright sea-blue eyes, who had been adopted by the Sheppard when he was four years old when the Sheppards, David and Anna, thought that they wouldn’t be able to have a child. So it came a pleasant surprise when four years later, Anna found out that she was pregnant, giving birth, nine months later, to Alec Patrick Sheppard. The  cute baby boy grew up to look a lot like his father with a dark mass of unruly hair and hazel eyes that shone as bright as jewels with his mischievous gaze.  
  
Leo approached tranquilly his younger brother, admiring the trinket he had fun. “What did you find, Alec?”  
  
“I don’t know. But it is pretty, don’t you agree ?” He sent pleading eyes to his brother, hoping that he would bargain for Alec. His dimpled smile grew brighter when Leo complied easily. The woman who held the stand didn’t try to swindle the boys, even lowering the price slightly for the only coins the youngest had in his pockets.  
  
As the afternoon was coming to an end, and the market searched from end to end by the two boys — the flea market wasn’t that big, truth be told —, Anna called her children back so that they could drive back home while there was still sunlight. The boys obeyed promptly, the object still in Alec’s hand, the boy still mesmerised at the recently bought object. He and Leo were in the backseat, both of them near the windows, while Anna was in front next to their driver.  
  
The accident blindsided them completely, as no one expected at all. Leo tried to protect his little brother, holding him in his arms as the car started to spindle out of control among the squeals of grinding steel and dizziness of no longer having a sense of direction.  
  
For some reason, Leo felt a stronger pair of arms encompassing the boys. A steady, muscled, body of some sort of guardian angel that made sure that both boys were pressed against the cushioned seats (the body seemed to be on top of the seat-belts which was holding them safely), minimising the damage while providing a small measure of heaven amongst the confusion.  
  
Both Leo and Alec heard a whispered “ _Hang on_ ” before the blessed darkness took over the sounds of sirens and screams in the ever-growing distance. For some reason, both boys believed to have heard the voice of their father, which was impossible as he was away working in Washington.  


— _“A dream is a wish your heart makes.”_ **Walt Disney “Sleeping Beauty”** —  


 **Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy**  
  
John awoke with a gasp, the nightmare seemed to real for it to belong to the domain of dreams. He could still feel the car turn from the propulsion of the trembling two boys that he tried to hold safely in his arms. He had but only once glanced upon them three years ago, during his father’s wedding from afar, yet he could still recognise Lionel and Alec, David’s sons and his nephews. Anna was in the front, a place that he could not reach, to concerned with the safety of the children.  
  
On the other hand, how could he have been on Earth when he was right here, on Atlantis? Things didn’t make any sense! Hands circled his waist, a warm body plastered against him, a weight that settled him deeper into reality.  
  
“John?” Evan Lorne’s voice whispered huskily in his ears. “Is everything alright?”  
  
Rolling over, John kissed his boyfriend deeply, a small kiss of confort that didn’t go any further. “Just a dream, nothing else. Good back to sleep Evan.”  
  
As sleep was few for both the Commander and the Second-in-command of Atlantis, Evan took the acknowledgement as fact, his eyes quickly closing for a couple more hours of sleep. A thing John couldn’t go back to as he still couldn’t understand what prompted such a sleepy vision. He hadn't thought in particular of his brother's family, the occasionally e-mail non-withstanding.  
  
Maybe he was just overthinking things. It could have been just a dream. A really vivid dream, but only a dream. Turning over, John spooned Evan, the warm body quickly sending him back to sleep. He was lucky to have Evan with him, otherwise, his nightmares would have taken a darker turn. The only thing missing would be their third partner of their relationship.  
  
He would be awaken a couple hours later by Rodney’s urgent knocking. It would seem that the device that John had touched yesterday suddenly changed during the night. The arrow pointed at both “I” which have lighted up. Also, the orange on the back had reduced to an eye amidst the golden back.  
  
Of course Rodney would be in the lab early, he barely sleep if he wasn’t sedated in the infirmary. And of course he would be rushing around to wake him up for some sort of lightbulb duty. It’s not like John had any paperwork to get to! (Although, John would take time experimenting with Rodney rather than do the dreaded paperwork.)  
  
Evan, the traitor, was chuckling from their bed. The last laugh belonged to John, if he was occupied helping Rodney, Evan would be stuck planning the tour for the new recruits that will be coming in two weeks. The morning passed by quickly as Rodney tried every imaginable tests at least twice or thrice — and when John meant every imaginable tests, he meant it as Rodney had a very vivid imagination that was equal to his intelligence. It nearly went on in the afternoon, but even scientists needed to eat, hence why John forced Rodney to the cafeteria.  
  
Then, John went to see Evan in their office where they had to take care of the administrative side of things, before they could record their video-chat for Cam for tomorrow when the wormhole would be opened for it’s monthly data transfer. While they were quite aware that their video will be private — as they were talking to someone that had the correct security clearance — they still made sure to keep their relationship as lovers as discretely as possible. DADT may have been repelled (and possibly never applied on Atlantis for various international reasons), but there were still some higher-ups who were ready to make life hell to any soldier they disfavoured.  
  
As they chatted, the couple on Atlantis thought about their third partner whom they haven’t seen in a while. Cameron Mitchell could join them in Atlantis, but he was held back due to the fact that he was SG-1, golden-boy, leader. Just before they stopped recording, John asked Cameron if he could check-up on his family, just in case.  
  
For some reason, John just couldn’t get last night’s dream from his mind. A dream that repeated itself that very night once more. Evan woke him up at the end, slightly scared from John’s tenseness while he was sleeping. “What happened?” If it was one of those nightmares then John would tell him to leave it alone. If it was something else, then at least Evan would be there.  
  
“Same dream as last time. Except, this time, every action that I did was exactly the same as last night. I couldn’t change anything.” John was a soldier, so he quickly calmed his body as his training taught him.  
  
“You think it means anything?” While being slightly smaller than John, Evan’s arms seemed bigger from behind, protective and secure.  
  
“I don’t know,” John admitted, “but I’m thinking of talking to Rodney about it tomorrow.”  
  
“I’m sure it’s nothing, just another usual thing in Atlantis.” Evan tried to reassure his boyfriend.  
  
“Let’s hope that it won't be as dangerous as we are used to. Something routine like on Earth.” They both shared a chuckle. After seeing a lot of things native to the Pegasus Galaxy, Earth’s problems (planet-side and not galactic) seem quite charming, maybe a bit prosaic in some cases.  
  
Sensing that they needed to change the mood in the air, Evan started to kiss John. It was slow and languid, just what both needed. Then, Evan did something where he bit John’s lower lip, just a quick nip, that just made his blood boil. With a small growl, John flipped both of them over, the dark thoughts laid to rest as they lost themselves to the pleasure of the flesh.

— _“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."_ **Albert Einstein** —  


Of course, as it was on Atlantis, a new crisis had to appear on the recently Wraith-freed planets. P1X-832, where Sheppard and his team went a couple a days ago, had requested that the “Ancient”, as they called John, to come and negotiate any and all treaty that Atlantis wanted. And of course, they wanted John and his team right away, forcing Woolsey’s hand as this planet had the raw materials needed to create a ZPM (at least according to Rodney and Zelenka).  
  
As per the usual Atlantean modus, SGA-1 arrived during P1X-832 religious festivities, something about their sun god offering them plentiful fields of food. The first two days passed quickly by, with no particular incident to note that could have been a precursor of what was to come. In hindsight, John realised that with SGA-1’s luck, it should have warned them that something bad was about to happen.  
  
As it turns out, while a great majority of the planet was grateful from being saved from the Wraith’s domination, there still was a small part that wanted revenge on what the Outsiders did. Somehow, and John wondered for a very long time with Rodney being on the team what with his picky habits, they slipped a drug in their food before spiriting them away on another planet during the night.  
  
John and Ronon, who hadn’t taken much of the drugged food — yet again thanks to Rodney’s gluttony —, tried to fight their attackers off. And while experience of both a soldier and Runner could outweigh those of their attackers, they were still overpowered by the sheer numbers of their kidnappers.  
  
Ronon was the first to fall, as the natives of P1X-832 (John hadn't found a nickname yet, why the hell was he thinking that during a fight ?!) had concentrated on him while distracting John from coming to his rescue. Then, a shout made John turn and block an attack. A childish voice shouting “BEHIND YOU” from somewhere in the small cabin.  
  
Those precious few seconds of trying to find the voice gave the opportunity for the enemy to attack from behind. As his vision blurred, John saw a small ghost-like figure of a child standing there in the corner, his hazel eyes wide on that far to pale face. If it was possible, John could have sworn that it was his brother, in a more childish form, that was standing there.  
  
But the blessed darkness took over, making the frightened face the last thing John had seen as many hands jostled him, with his team, far away from somewhere. That very same face, a bit less pale this time, being what John would see when he would awoke from the darkness.  
  
“Are you alright?” The child asked quietly, he couldn’t be more than seven years old, to young to be in this … dark, damp, dungeon? Somehow, despite being chained up and beaten, John wanted to make a bad joke about stereotypes.  
  
“Yeah, I’m ok. What about you, kid? Mind telling me how you came to be here?” The kid was wearing clothes that belonged more on Earth than in the Pegasus Galaxy, unless there was a planet that survived the Wraith long enough to have clothing that were similar than Earth’s.  
  
The kid sniffed a bit. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember is being in the car and everything was rolling, mom was screaming, and, … and, … and …” the kid couldn’t speak anymore, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.  
  
John tried to move forward, only to be stopped by a chain around his ankle. Instead, he decided to compromise by opening his arms, “Come here, it seems that I’m a bit chained up.” The young boy complied immediately, quite relieved to have an adult around to take charge. “What’s your name? Mine’s John, Lieutenant-Major of the USA Army Force.”  
  
“I’m Alec, from San Francisco. I’m seven, but my brother is fifteen.” Alec stated those facts as if he was trying to reassure himself, mumbling them in John’s chest, missing the startled look from the older man as to many coincidences showed that the boy was from Earth. The problem being that this situation was impossible.  
  
“John?” Came a voice from the cell right next to him. It was Rodney’s sweet dulcet tone. “Who are you talking too?”  
  
“Looks like our kidnappers also got a child.” John shouted back towards where he thought Rodney was.  
  
“A child? Sheppard, you are alone in that cell, talking in thin air.” That was Ronon who seemed to be in the cell in front of John. “And it would seem that you are hugging thin air as well.” John could hear the Runner’s smirk full of amusement at his plight. Looking down, he would have expected the child to try to answer back, as all young children do from what he could remember. Instead, he saw the boy — whose name was Alec — fast asleep in his arms. No, Alec wasn’t asleep, but rather passed out from the rush of relief from this nightmarish scenario.  
  
“You can’t see him, can you?” He asked softly, not wanting to bother the peaceful slumber — as it brought peace to the young child’s mind — of the innocent in his arms while he could. “I’m carrying a child in my arms. From what he could tell me, it would seem he is from San Francisco.”  
  
He was interrupted by Rodney’s outrageous “that is impossible since we still haven’t found a way to travel across galaxies without ZPMs”.  
  
“I know that Rodney, if you let me finish!” His tone of voice let no room for argument. “As I said, the boy told me, before he fell asleep, that he is from San Francisco. So, unless there is another planet that is so similar to our own, we will have to find out why the boy is with us now. He suddenly appeared out of thin air during our kidnapping.”  
  
Rodney’s scepticism practically oozed from the cell beside John’s, or was it John knowing Rodney so well. “What?” John asked defensively, “stranger things have happened you know?”  


— _"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius --- and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”_ **Albert Einstein** —  


Two hours passed by before Alec woke up from John’s arms. “Where … am I?” He asked softly, eyes still a bit foggy. They quickly focused when he recognised the dark, deathly, surroundings that were the cells. “It… it wasn’t a dream then? I’m really far away from home.” Tears began to pool in his eyes.  
  
“Hush now,” John whispered as calmly and reassuringly as he could. “Everything is going to be alright.”  
  
“How can you say that?” The scepticism reminded him to much of David when they were young. “All I know is that mom was in an accident. Leo wanted me to sleep, it was late while we waited at the hospital. Then, I wake up with you fighting these people and we are here in this dungeon.” The tears began to fall on his cheeks, still slightly plump as in all children.  
  
John cradled the boy as closely as he could. “I know that everything will be alright as nobody can see you. Besides, I’m a USA soldier, so I will do everything in my power to make sure you get back to your home on Earth.”  
  
The boy looked curiously. “You mean we are on another planet?” His childish curiosity was so refreshing to see, better than the tear-stained scared face.  
  
“If I’m guessing right, then yes, you are someplace far from Earth.” John will face the consequences of such a reveal later, if it was needed. “But I need more information from where you are.”  
  
John had a double-goal with this line of questioning. The first one was to gain more information concerning the mysterious boy that had appeared from out of nowhere. The second, and most crucial in John’s opinion, was to take young Alec’s mind from the current situation.  
  
Alec wanted to trust someone, and the man in front of him who looked a lot like his father. “What should I talk about?” Alec tilted his head slightly, trying to stare deeper in the eyes of the soldier.  
  
“Anything you feel confortable about.” John answered promptly. “What about your full name and that of your brother ?’  
  
Alec puffed in pride. “My name is Alec Patrick Sheppard, younger brother to Lionel Dwayne Sheppard.” The boy missed the very surprised look from the man holding him, as he took in the words that had just been uttered.  
  
“Leo, that’s what I called Lionel since I was a baby, has always looked out for me. He’s my best friend, as well as my brother. Even at school, he watches out for me, despite being waaaaaaay older than me.”  
  
The young boy continued to talk a while, John letting him while he regained his bearings with this new set of information. Being distant with his family, John could recognise his nephew, but only when he had been much younger. Their reconciliation having been only a recent thing, separated by John’s time on Atlantis. So he would have caught up on certain informations later on.  
  
Something tickled the back of his mind. How had he known it was his nephews during the dream he had had a couple of nights ago?  
  
Well, this changed a few things.

— _"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."_   **Albert Einstein** —  


When Alec woke up, he realised that he was still in the hospital. He still wasn’t sure if the dream was a dream or if it was real. He blinked his eyes open, greeted to the sight of his brother, watching over him.  
  
“Leo?” His voice was drowsy from being just awake. “Is mom … ?”  
  
“No, no,” his brother quickly reassured him. “Mom’s getting better. Dad called and said he will arrive in a couple of hours. He is catching the first flight from Rome. He’ll be arriving in twelve hours.”  
  
That was when Alec noticed the policeman, he grew pensive. “Why is there a policeman here?” Leo just drew his brother closer.  
  
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.” And even if Leo didn’t know what was happening, he will do everything in his power to protect his family. So it was surprising when Alec asked for his cellphone. When asked why, his brother just said he needed to call someone. “But who?” Leo couldn’t see who else they needed to call.  
  
“I’m not sure.” His adorable little brother replied, while tapping the number carefully. The tip of his tongue slightly appearing when he concentrated. At the very least, Alec had put the phone on speaker and they were a bit far from the policeman’s ears.  
  
“General Landry speaking.” A deep male voice rang out from the cellphone.  
  
“General Landry?” Alec’s voice was small and hesitant, “my name is Alec Sheppard. Don’t ask me how, but I have a message from Commander Sheppard. He says Alpha-Alpha-Gamma-Delta-Charlie-O-O-Three.”  
  
Leo quickly covered Alec’s little ears, just in time before the explicit profanities could be discernible. “Would you please keep a proper language. My brother is only six.”  
  
“And you would be?” The weary sigh could be heard clearly through the small speaker.  
  
“Lionel Sheppard. Heir to Sheppard Industries, and older brother to Alec here. Would you mind explaining to me what is happening?” Leo’s voice was stern and cool, just like he was trained to do. You couldn’t say that Lionel wasn’t a quick study, making him the pride and joy of his father.  
  
“Because, your brother has just given us a code red for one of our teams in a classified area. An areas that is not in the United States. So stay put, I’m sending some of my men to protect you as the line is not secured.” The call finished with an abrupt noise, probable the general banging something.  
  
In less than forty-five minutes, five people arrived in the hospital lobby. The first to stride towards them was a tall man who had brown hair and dark blue eyes. The perfect boy-next-door with the most worried look of the lot. Which was weird in a sense, as both Leo and Alec have never met him before. The others were put on the back-burner as the man quickly checked them out.  
  
“You guys are alright ?”

**Author's Note:**

> **AN : This story was due for a reverse BB. Since I can’t seem to finish it, due to a loss of motivation, I will be writing the rest of the draft in notes. I’m mainly doing this so that my artist (who deserves everything with her wonderful image.)**
> 
>  
> 
>  **Here what is suppose to happen :**  
>  \- Both Leo and Alec appear again in Atlantis the very next day after the rescue. Once again, John is the only one to see them.  
> \- Then, Alec appears in Atlantis but thirty years in the future. He meets Duncan, a boy of eighteen who also seems to be carrying the same object he found at the flea market. There, he meets himself as an adult (a doctor) with Leo being a soldier as well. There, he finds out that there is an invasion of beings called Wraith who will double as a sneak-attack.  
> \- Meanwhile, Cam talks with Dave, and finds out that Leo’s mother used to work for Dave and finds out her name. It would seem that Leo may be Cam’s son from a one night stand.  
> \- Turns out the accident wasn’t an accident, but an attempted murder from the Trust as they saw Alec buy the object they wanted. For their protection, Dave and his family are brought to Atlantis when Duncan appears in front of Alec and Leo, but cannot be seen by John. He said that he did some research and can tell an approximate date for the death.  
> \- The Gate is jammed due to the Trust’s meddling. For some reason, Duncan seemed to appear physically in Atlantis.  
> \- Thanks to Duncan, they get more information to prepare for the attack. One main preparation to be done is to find allies and weapons for the invasion.  
> \- All three Sheppards (John, Alec and Duncan) have the device on them, which revealed a potentiel defence for Atlantis. Daniel Jackson was the one to have found some sketching on the back of each device. That depending on where they were facing, the markings will appear somewhat clearly.  
> \- It takes both Rodney, Jackson and Carter before they could find where the system is.  
> \- They stop the invasion but now, they need to solve the mystery of how Duncan got here in this time. The solution seems to be a Gate-travel during a solar outburst. Only problem would be the date. Something that Atlantis seemed to be able to do so according to Duncan. However, he never found out how he wasn’t part of the Science department, being the flyboy like his dads.  
> \- The Gate activates and appear three man : Alec, Michael Zelenka-McKay and Ash Carter. They had come to get Duncan back but they needed to wait for a year and six months. An excellent opportunity to study Atlantis during the first five-to-ten years and help out. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **AN (bis) : Once again, I am sorry. If someone wants to finish it, please warn me before. And try out the Stargate Reverse Big Bang later this year. It is awesome.**


End file.
